Final Fantasy XIII - The Untold Story Book II: The L'cie Crisis
by Knight Captain Lightning
Summary: Three years after the Cocoon Civil War, Vark's warning long forgotten, the Sanctum's corruption finally shows itself and a purge is called on Bodhum after the discovery of a Pulsian Fal'cie in the Pulse Vestige at Bodhum. A perfect, happy life turns into a living nightmare as Alexander Issac and Lightning's relationship is stretched to it's limits.
1. Chapter 1 - The Thirteen Days

**I**

**The Thirteen Days**

* * *

**Day 2 – Officer Training**

Knight Captain, Storm was standing behind his desk, going through a few of his personal files as he reorganized a few things. A light smile came across his face when he came across a photo of his family, it was a photo that they had taken when they were celebrating his rise to the Order of Knight Captain's following the Cocoon Civil War and General Vark's defeat. He placed the photo up, setting the holo tablet on his desk so he could see the digital image easily while working. He then sat back down in his chair and pulled up the monitor on his desk, scrolling through the menus on the holographic display as he tried to find a mission to do, his meeting with Amodar earlier that day had kind of worn him out. He had discussed many things about Lightning and both had agreed that Lightning was ready for officer training, but they wanted to wait off for her birthday, make it something special for her since it was only 12 days away.

In that instant, his door slammed open and a pinkette stomped in, she wore a Guardian Corps uniform and her shoulder pad had yellow lights, showing her as a Sergeant. The emblem on her shoulder pad was the same as Storm's both members of the same division. "Tch... just who do those ametuers think they are!?" She folded her slender arms as her palms rest on the sides of her upper arms.

"Who?" Storm asked as he raised a brow at her. He wasn't quite positive what exactly it was that she was talking about, but it was clear from the minute she walked in that she was not in a good mood because of some group of people.

"Alright, so I was out on the mission to hunt down some Sahagin with Amodar and some soldiers... everything was going fine until this Vigilante group calling themselves, 'NORA' showed up..." She said their name slower and with more emphasis, obviously mocking them and finding them to be a bother. "Not only did they just get int the way, but their leader was apparently that Snow guy who keeps chasing my sister around, he's arrogant, annoying, and just an idiot... He's their leader and to make things worse, his whole group is a bunch of ametuer kids!"

Storm had listened to her words and then nodded, going over to the door to shut it so that nobody else passing by would hear her venting to him. "Alright, I get it... they kind of do sound annoying, getting in the way of your mission, but don't worry about it, it's no use getting all worked up about it and letting a bunch of kids and their overconfident leader get the best of you."

She huffed and nodded. "Tch, you're right..." She glanced at him, but didn't smile. She was still upset by NORA disrupting her mission, but she had no more need to rant to him about it anymore. "Thanks for letting me get that off my chest..."

Storm nodded, "Here... how about I give you the rest of the day off? You get your pay for the mission and Amodar takes care of the rest... I'm sure he and the other soldiers in the division are more than capable of handling a few monsters on their own."

The pinkette nodded once and then unfolded her arms. "Thanks... I could use the break, besides... I need to keep an eye on my sister... make sure that that man isn't following her around anywhere..."

Storm nodded and then pat her on the shoulder. "You do that... I'll have the Gil sent to your account, you just enjoy the day and take good care of Serah alright?"

"Will do Alex... see you tomorrow."

"See you Light." He smiled a bit as she walked out of his office, heading home to see her younger sister.

* * *

**Day 3 – Weekend Break**

A day had passed and the week shift of the Guardian Corps soldiers had the day off, the weekend team now taking over and doing their duties. He was over with his family, spending time with everyone as Lightning spent some time at her own home.

Radiant walked in and then sat down next to Storm, his right hand found it's way to his hair as he started to mess with it a little. "Hahaha... how's my little brother doing?" He smiled as he tackled Storm down to the couch and held him in a headlock as he ruffled up his hair some more. "How's your girlfriend, Lightning doing hmm?"

Storm laughed a bit and then grabbed his brother, flipping him over and tossing him on the ground, stomach up. "Heh... she's doing alright..."

Radiant smiled and then nodded. "Glad to hear it... Geez, little brother can't beat me when it comes to combat, but when it comes to keeping a relationship, he does a great job."

Flint walked in and sat down on the couch next to the two brothers, taking both their heads and shoving them down into the couch. "Yeah, yeah, knock it off ya two." He laughed and then smiled at them. "I heard you both have been training really hard... Especially you Alex, I hear you've managed to learn that special talent of yours that you used to beat Vark... what did you call them?"  
"Storm Artes, I've gotten pretty good at using them, but they're still kind of a mystery to me... nobody else can do them and it's not in any of the Order's records, but I have gotten much better at constructing things and utilizing that manadrive technology."

"Yeah, that stuff... It's hard to believe that your manadrive technology has become such a popular thing in the military." Radiant folded his arms.

Seerana walked in and giggled. "Dad, dad come quick!"

Flint raised a brow at her. "Huh? What is it Seerana?"

Seerana tugged at his pants and then tried to pull him with her. "Momma has something for everyone!"

Storm and Radiant then stood up and they all started to head into the kitchen where they found a large table full of various kinds of food.

Mia smiled at them as they walked in. "Surprise! I got everyone dinner!"

They all smiled as they looked at the delicious food. The meats and various kinds of food all laid out on the table. As they started to eat, they discussed various matters with each other, finding out how everyone in the family had been doing.

* * *

**Day 4 - Infinity Crystals**

The second day of the weekend had come up and Lightning's birthday would be coming up in eight days. The male found himself walking down the streets of Bodhum's outdoor, shopping mall. He glanced around the area, thinking about if there would be anything suitable for the pinkette's birthday. She was difficult to shop for, mainly because she wasn't the kind of woman you just purchased flowers and chocolate for... even though she absolutely loves roses and chocolate, the feminine side of Lightning that didn't show to most people.

He sighed and shook his head, eventually folding his arms and letting out a slight huff of annoyance due to his failed attempt to find a suitable store. He then came across Leonora's Garage and stared at their poster for a minute. They were a very popular store that sold mechanical parts that were commonly used in weapon Construction and upgrades, but while they did have a great stock, they didn't have the best items available.

Storm then decided he's stop by another store that he knew, figuring he had just figured out what exactly it was that he'd get her for her birthday. On his way to the store, he picked up some roses, figuring he'd get her some of his own homemade chocolates since that just so happened to be her favorite.

He then found the main store he was looking for. A large sign up front that read Gunblade Mechanics in Cocoonian. He walked into the store, browsing their goods. This was his favorite store because they always had top end stuff and lots of great items to help customize, create, and enhance gunblades, however it was built for people who had a bit more knowledge on item creation and modification, something Storm was certainly not lacking in.

He spotted a box that held two crystals in it and pulled it off the shelf. It was the only one that the store had and the instant he saw it, he knew what it was.

In his hands, Storm held two Infinity Crystals, two crystals that no matter how far apart they were from each other, would always remain connected and linked together based on the feelings and strength of the wielder of the two crystals.

He knew exactly what he'd get the pinkette when he saw the crystals, sure they might have been expensive, but when it was something like this, he didn't care about the price. He grabbed a few more parts, particularly some metal, and a few other things. He then went to the cashier, set the crystals down with his other purchases.

"You sure you have enough to pay for this s... Knight Captain, Storm? O..oh of course you do... I promise you won't regret these crystals! They're bound to bring you lots of luck!"

Storm nodded and smiled. "I'm sure I won't regret it... actually I have a special thing in mind for them... something that's never been done before..."

"And that is?" The cashier raised a brow.

"Put them into a gunblade..."

His eyes widened a bit in surprise. "W..wow really? Nobody's ever done something like that before, mainly because everybody always ends up damaging the crystals when they make the weapon... but maybe... I think you could pull it off...

Storm nodded. "Sounds like a deal." He pulled out a small holographic card and pushed a few buttons, making the transaction in mere seconds.

"Enjoy those crystals, I look forward to hearing what you can do with them..."

"Thanks, keep up the business, this is one of the best gunblade stores on Cocoon!" Storm waved as he walked off, heading back home to start constructing the present for Lightning.

* * *

**Day 11 – The Firework Festival**

In the sky that night, magnificent fireworks launched off into the sky, the sounds of Bodhum's inhabitants cheering and staring in awe of this years wonderful display of fireworks. The sound of footsteps on sand were heard as Storm's boots left imprints in the sandy shores of the festival grounds. He smiled as he looked at the wonderful colors booming in the sky then descending until they faded into nothing.

"They really outdid themselves this year didn't they?" He said in an inaudible tone, mostly to himself.

As he walked he heard the various vendors selling food, it was guaranteed that any place that was this crowded would have at least a few people set up with stands, trying to make a small profit off of selling a variety of foods and drinks to the others. He noticed a few Bodhum soldiers patrolling the streets in front of a jewelry store, soldiers that Lightning had assigned there. "Hmm... she made a smart decision..." The previous year there had been someone who had been trying to sneak in and steal some jewelry from the local stores, but he had been caught. Places like that were always a big target, especially when the owners were out busy enjoying fireworks since it was seen as easy money for robbers and the sort.

Storm continued to walk where he passed a woman with light silver hair and a young boy, no older than 14 standing beside her, his hair a bit more silver in tone. He smiled, seeing how he was enjoying the festival with her, but he also wondered why he had no father with them. Maybe he was one of those fathers that were always so busy and they never had time to come out, Storm gave a light sigh, glad that his father wasn't like that. He loved his family more than anything and having them in his life was very important to him, he had something that Lightning did not, a loving, caring family... Lightning had lost her parents long ago... when she was still a child her father passed and at 15 her mother died, it was why the pinkette was always so serious at work, she had to provide an income for her only family, Serah.

Further walking and he saw the familiar woman that had just entered his mind, the pinkette stood out in the sands amongst the crowd, she may have been hard to spot, but the lights on her shoulder pad along with the big bulk of a man standing next to her, also wearing a Guardian Corps shoulder pad made her easy to spot. He recognized the man as Lieutenant Amodar, an old friend of his from back during the Cocoon Civil War and the officer that he had placed Lightning under.

"21 Eh?" Amodar placed his hand on the back of her left shoulder. "Maybe it's a good time to send off that letter of recommendation for officer training." He then removed his hand.

Lightning's eyes widened and she looked over to him in shock. "Lieutenant?"

"Your past due for a promotion Farron..." He looked up to the fireworks and held his hands behind his back. "Think of your sister... and your future and uhh... keep your nose out of trouble."

"Out of PSICOM business you mean?" She asked, understanding what he meant by that.

Alex smiled, seeing her reaction, but he too was aware of what PSICOM had been thinking... after the whole Euride Gorge accident, PSICOM had gotten really active.

Amodar nodded at Lightning and looked up at the fireworks. "Yeah, nothin' good'll come of it... nothin' but grief. Woah look at that one!" He let out a small laugh and gave a smile as Lightning stayed quiet, thinking about many things on her mind... her sister, PSICOM, and her upcoming officer training that Storm had suggested to Amodar.

Amodar then turned to Lightning and smiled. "Well I best be goin' I've got another run to do around here, but you go ahead and enjoy your leave alright?"

"Yes sir... thank you." She nodded and watched as Amodar walked off into the crowd.

"Well what do you think?" Lightning jumped when she heard the familiar voice from behind her, she spun on her heel and looked into his eyes, a light smile coming to her face as she shook her head. "I should've known... it was all your idea wasn't it?"

"What me? No..." He chuckled lightly and smiled as he looked into her eyes. "Congratulations... you deserve it Claire..."

"Thank you Alex... I've... I've been so busy with work and everything that I have let Serah feel lonely... I'm not exactly happy about that..." Lightning turned back to the fireworks and looked up at them.

Alex nodded and walked up to her side. "So... what do you have in mind for her?"

"... Well I was thinking that I might take a short vacation... just me and her, catch up a bit you know? Then after that I'll spend more time with her, not be so held back at work anymore..." Lightning rest her head on his shoulder and sighed. "She's very important to me... I've been a terrible sister to her..."

"You have not... you work here so much so you can get her money to live her life... if you were such a terrible sister you wouldn't be doing that or spending time with her, that's a nice thought you have for her... I'm sure she'll be overjoyed to hear it." He smiled and watched the fireworks up in the sky. Their eyes reflecting the splendor of fireworks exploding in the night sky. "Wow... it's so beautiful..."

Lightning smiled and nodded lightly. "Remember when we came here three years ago? Right after the end of the Cocoon Civil War?"

"Yeah... that promise we made... as well as our first kiss, how could I ever forget that?" He smiled a bit more, thinking back to it in full detail. It was as vivid as if it had just happened yesterday.

She smiled and closed her eyes, listening to the sound of fireworks in the sky as she rest her head on his shoulder more, her arms wrapped around his as their hands locked and fingers intertwined. "I love you Alex..."

"I love you too Claire..." He smiled back and held her close, glad to see that she was having a great day. "I'll be over to see you on your birthday tomorrow okay?" He smiled a bit as she nodded, resting her head on him.


	2. Chapter 2 - L'cie

**II**

**L'cie**

* * *

**Day 12 – Worst Birthday Ever**

It was Lightning's Birthday today, Storm had been working on the birthday present for Lightning every day for hours on end since he bought the parts for it eight days ago. He looked at the two gunblades that he had constructed, both looking completely identical to the other. He turned to the Infinity Crystals that he had sealed back up in a small, military grade case built to withstand blasts, bullets, and much more. He sighed and folded his arms. "Guess I wasn't able to finish it in time for her birthday..." He reached out for the case and stored it away. He then glanced down at the gunblades and picked one up, swinging it around a few times. "... If only I had a few more hours before the party..." He then set it down and walked out of his room, locking the door behind him.

Radiant watched Storm as he stepped out of his room. "Going to Lightning's party? You did finish that present for her right? You've been working nonstop on that..."

"And I still didn't finish it in time... I just wish I had a few extra hours but I'm already running late as is... I suppose I'll just take some of my chocolate... she seems to really like it so I at least won't go down as the worst boyfriend on Cocoon."

"Chocolates? How original. You going to bring roses too Alex?" Radiant smirked, poking fun at his younger brother.

"Hey at least I have a girlfriend." He huffed and folded his arms. "Besides, roses happen to be her favorite flower."

"Bah, don't go rubbin' it in..." Radiant let out a slight chuckle then smiled at Alex. "Make this birthday good for her alright?"

Alex nodded and smiled. "Of course Radiant... I'll see you later tonight alright?"

"Alright, have fun." Radiant waved to Alex and sighed as he watched him wave back then leave the house with a bag of chocolates.

* * *

Storm had finally managed to get to Lightning's house, he walked along the ramp that led up to her home, shaped like a massive peanut. He knocked on the door and there was no answer. He then waited a few seconds before knocking again, this time Lightning answered the door, she didn't seem like she was in a good mood.

"Claire?" He walked in once she walked out of the way and allowed him to enter. He then sat down on the couch in her living room.

Lightning sat down next to him and looked down. "I... I'm such an idiot... Serah..."

"W..where's Serah? I thought she would be here..."

"... I yelled at her and she ran off..."

"Y..you what? W..why?" Storm placed a hand on her back, worried about Serah and her.

"S..she said she was a Pulsian L'cie! And even more that she was going to marry that idiot Snow!"

"... A.. a Pulse L'cie? B..but how?" Storm's eyes widened almost in disbelief, he wasn't aware of any Pulsian Fal'cie being kept in New Bodhum anywhere.

"The Vestige... I heard on the news that a Fal'cie was found in the ancient Pulsian Ruins and that tomorrow Bodhum is going to be purged... it was just shown on the news a few minutes ago..."

Storm sighed, that was why he hadn't figured it out, he missed the news announcement when he had been walking to Lightning's home. "Where is Serah right now? Do you have any idea?"

"No... I don't, all I know is that they ran off after I yelled at Serah."

Right then, the door slammed open and a large man with blonde hair partially hidden under a black bandanna. He also had a blue vest that he wore over a black shirt, black gloves, large grey boots, a blue striped scarf hanging from his belt and a beige trenchcoat.

"Sis! Serah's been taken! The Fal'cie has her!"

"W..WHAT!?" She stood up and glared at him.

"We went to find her focus, but the Fal'cie took her hostage, she's in the vestige... I'm going to go save her!"

"Save her!? Look what you've done!? Your carelessness has gotten her captured! What can you possibly do!?"

"S..sis..."

"I'm not your sister! Out of my way Snow!" She stormed out of the house and shoved Snow aside.

"Oof..." The large man landed on the ground as Lightning ran out of her home.

"Light!" Storm went out after her, but it was too late, she wasn't stopping for anything anymore...

Snow walked out and looked at Storm. "Knight Captain? What are you doing here?"

"Just came to check on Lightning..." He sighed and walked off, Snow assuming that he had arrived for business reasons, not realizing any other reason that a Knight Captain would be around.

* * *

Storm was finally back at his home, he let out a sigh, nobody was there anymore, even Radiant had taken off after he made a quick visit earlier. He went to his workshop and stared at the twin gunblades resting against the table. He then let out a sigh and walked to his bedroom, kicking off his boots before plopping down on his bed. A soft sigh escaped his lips before his eyelids shut and he fell asleep, his mind on the events that had occurred. "A Pulse L'cie... my enemy? Serah..."

**Day 13 – The Purge**

Storm awoke to a knock on his front door. He yawned and stretched before standing up, slipping on his boots before slowly wandering out of his bedroom. The three consecutive knocks were heard once more as he made his way toward the door. He then opened it and found a soldier standing there, gun aimed at him, however he was different from the usual Guardian Corps seen around Bodhum, this soldier wore pale green, yellow armor with a helmet that had yellow glass where the eyes were. "O..oh Knight Captain, Storm... I wasn't aware this was your home..." He lowered his weapon.

"Yeah... PSICOM? What are you... oh right, the purge?" He folded his arms and sighed.

"Exactly, you should report to PSICOM's command since you're military personnel..."

He nodded and sighed. "Very well... anything else?"

"Have you noticed any suspicious activity? Anything... Pulse related?" He asked in a curious tone, but it was impossible to tell with the full helmet covering his face.

He stayed quiet for a minute, thinking about Serah being a Pulsian L'cie... he could easily tell him what he wanted... "No, I've only heard what the civilians in Bodhum know..."

"Very well, I will continue on my duty... We're gathering civilians and escorting them to the purge trains." He then walked off, making his way to the next house adjacent to his.

Storm closed the door and went back in his house, he gathered a few things, mostly items from his workshop, some clothes, and other items. He spent a good hour or two packing things away, taking a shower and eating breakfast... Once Bodhum was purged, the city would be a ghost town... all the citizens being transported to Pulse... or so he was told... Even as a high ranking Knight Captain, Storm didn't know anything about the real method behind a purge as he had never actually been through one... The last purge had occurred long ago, way before his time with the military even. He then looked at the twin gunblades in his workshop and sighed, taking them and packing them away too, the Infinity Crystals being placed in his luggage as well.

Now with his luggage, he started to walk out of his home, he took one long, final look at it all before he walked out, his luggage floating around right behind him.

* * *

After making the trip to the PSICOM encampment he found many other Guardian Corps soldiers, many he recognized. Amodar was talking with Blitz Squad, old friends that he had known from the Cocoon Civil War... Since becoming a Knight Captain, Storm had taken them into his division. Each Knight Captain is given the choice of forming a division. The divisions are formed by various squads that all act under that Knight Captain. Storm led the Knight Corps, a division that both Amodar's and Blitz's Squads were a part of after the passing of their previous Knight Captain, Advar three years ago.

He however, was worried more about Lightning, he looked around the camp for any tufts of pink hair, but found no success. The pinkette was nowhere to be found. He knew her, knowing that he dedication to Serah would have had her go on a mission to save her.

He placed his hand on the shoulder of a nearby PSICOM soldier to get his attention. "Hey, what's the status of the Pulsian Vestige?"

"The one with the Fal'cie in it? That thing's been moved to the Hanging Edge northeast of here on the mainland. It's the same place the Purge Trains are headin'."

"The Purge trains are heading there too?" He raised a brow.

"Yeah, we don't have anymore that are heading out however, we just sent the last train out about ten minutes ago."

"... I understand, thank you for your information."

He then started to walk into a room in the back, nobody else was in there except for him. There was a large computer monitor displayed on the wall with the PSICOM logo shown on it. He sat down and went through a few files, trying to find out as much as he could about the Purge in Bodhum as well as the Pulsian Vestige.


	3. Chapter 3 - Execution

**III**

**Execution**

**Bodhum – PSICOM Encampment**

* * *

Many hours had passed, Storm had been performing duties around the small military base set up by PSICOM soldiers, however he wasn't spending his whole time working for PSICOM, he was gathering intel on the Bodhian purge that had been sent into effect, mainly for two reasons... not everyone he knew was in the camp.

It was common knowledge that military personnel and their families are exempt from the purge. The mere fact that he had yet to see Lightning didn't worry him much, he figured that she was more worried about taking care of Serah, a path that would make her his enemy... However that wasn't the only thing on his mind, there was no reason his family shouldn't be in the civilian camp just outside of PSICOM's main control center, and yet there was no word or sign of anyone in his family.

Storm sat at the desk in front of a large PSICOM monitor, a login screen in front of a blue background displayed the PSICOM logo with Cocoon lettering displaying the words "PSICOM COMMAND".

He pulled up a holographic keyboard that rest on the desk in front of him and using the keyboard, he entered in his Knight Captain login information, the system granting him access to the databases of not only both PSICOM and the Guardian Corps all over Cocoon, but top secret information that only members of the Order of Knight Captain's knew.

The news feed scrolled by the bottom of the screen right before something caught his interest.

"Bodhum Purge civilians cause chaos in the Hanging Edge?" He huffed. "Voice Input, Read Article 9568 Alpha."

The computer brought up the data and displayed images of Bodhian citizens fighting back against PSICOM soldiers, a video was also displayed as well. He used the voice command to play the video where he saw an exchange of gunfire, the civilians had managed to get their hands on some of PSICOM's weaponry and vehicles and were using their sub machine guns, airbikes, and rocket launchers. "Geez things are bad out there..." He huffed and then noticed a familiar blonde. "Snow..." He slammed his fist into the desk. "Tch... that idiot! NORA doesn't stand a chance if they bring out the special forces, he's just going to get innocent people killed!" He thought it'd be best for them all if they had just gone along with the purge and went down to Gran Pulse, he wasn't aware of the painful truth behind the purge and how they had plans to kill everyone since before the rebellion started.

He then saw a notification window display on the top right of his screen that caught his attention, his eyes turning to it to read what it had to say. The information read, 'New Video: Purge Executions'

"Executions?" He then narrowed his eyes and spoke again. "Voice input, open Purge Executions video."

The blue background turned red and an error appeared on the screen. "Access denied? What the... I'm a Knight Captain..." He then spoke again. "Voice Input, open Purge Executions video, Knight Captain Override Enabled."

That same error displayed again, denying him access to the video, something strange because all Knight Captain's were given access to everything on the military's databases.

He then opened up a command window and started a manual override of the video's permissions, when the permission came up he noticed a window that showed restrictions of people who would be given the error he received. On the list he saw that the lower ranking PSICOM soldiers and Guardian Corps were disallowed access, nothing too out of the ordinary until he saw his name specifically on the list. He then removed his name off this list and closed out of the command window.

He was now really suspicious of this video as it was being kept hidden from him anyways, and not to mention it was under a high level security system, whoever kept him out of the video didn't want him seeing it.

"Voice Input, open Purge Executions video."

This time, the background turned black and the video turned full screen, in a couple seconds, playback of the video began...

* * *

"Attention, the executions of Bodhum's citizens are about to begin." There was a high ranking officer of PSICOM standing on a stage, apparently they were showing off this execution like some form of entertainment for the other soldiers of PSICOM. From what he could see in the video, there were at least 10 soldiers in total.

"Hey man, you got the camera on?"

"Of course, if it wasn't, Sanctum command would have our heads next."

At this point, Storm was already sickened by what he was seeing, how could the Sanctum support executions like this?

"Get on stage you scum!" A soldier smacked someone in the back with the butt of their rifle, knocking them to the ground. It was an orange haired male, a few years older than him, his uniform obviously showing he was a Knight Captain. When he looked up to the camera, Storm's eyes widened...

"RADIANT!?" He nearly jumped out of his chair in worry, his mind was at a loss, he didn't know why his brother was up for execution as a purgee, there was no reason for it. "Radiant... why are yo..." He then saw more familiar faces walk out to the stage, their hands all bound behind their backs in rope. Storm's mother, father... but worst of all, even his 12 year old little sister was forced up onto the stage.

"Get a move on!" One of the soldiers shoved her to the ground and pointed his gun at her, the fear was clearly visible in her eyes as she burst into tears.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Radiant yelled back at the soldier.

Another soldier then aimed a gun at him and chuckled darkly. "And what do you think you're going to do Knight Captain? This is a direct command sent down from the Sanctum."

"Tch..." He huffed and was kicked down to his knees.

Flint then looked at his wife as Mia comforted her daughter. "It'll be okay... it'll be fine alright? Be strong sweetie..." She was also in tears, completely scared of what was going to happen to them.

"Any last words?" The leader of the soldiers spoke to them before folding his arms.

Flint looked at the soldier. "Please, do what you want with me! Just let my family go! At least let Mia and Seerana go! Please!"

Radiant glared at the soldier and spat in his face. "I hope my brother finds all of you and cuts you apart limb from limb... I hope he makes you suffer as much as you've made my sister suffer!"

The guard smirked. "Oh is that so? Then in that case we'll kill you last, we'll let you watch, as we kill your whole family in front of you..." He then turned and looked at the soldiers. "Ready? Take aim!"

The soldiers obeyed, holding their guns at the ready.

"FIRE!" The sound of gunshots were heard and Storm froze in shock and fear as he watched his father, mother, and 12 year old sister shot down as the soldiers smiled and cheered. He saw the blood on the stage as their bodies fell to the ground and the life left from their eyes.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He screamed out loud, tears running down his cheeks.

The soldiers then took aim at Radiant who was pissed off at the soldiers, it was obvious he wanted to dismember them and brutally murder everyone in that room from just the anger in his eyes.

"Don't worry... you'll be joining them now!" The soldiers took aim and gunfire was heard just as the screen cut to static and the video ended...

* * *

The young Knight Captain sat in the chair, his body shaking, his eyes just staring at the screen, but not focused on anything... He couldn't stop replaying the video in his mind, the brutality of the soldiers, his family and their execution, these people were the definition of monsters, and to make things worse for Storm? He was working for the very people who had done this to him, he was a part of this corrupt government...


	4. Chapter 4 - Final Fantasy XIII

**IV**

**Final Fantasy XIII**

* * *

**Bodhum – PSICOM Encampment**

About 15 minutes had passed, he had only spent the whole time staring at the monitor, his mind shattered at what he had seen. Now he was closing out of the menu and navigating to access the Bodhum Purge Trains, he went through the menus, trying to find names of everyone loaded on and sure enough, his family was on that list, the sight of such a betrayal caused him to nearly go on a rampage, but he contained his anger. Further down the list was Lightning's name on one of the purge trains that had been sent out a little bit ago.

However something was listed next to her name, the word 'voluntary purgee' was beside her name. "Why Claire?" He whispered to himself in an almost inaudible tone. He then remembered something, she had a datalog on her being a Guardian Corps soldier. He opened up any information he could find about the Hanging Edge. Maps of the region came up, news articles, and much more appeared on his screen.

He began to read some of the articles, briefly skimming them where he got information about the purge in the Hanging Edge, apparently the civilians that had been sent out on the purge trains were fighting back against the Sanctum. One particular group known as N.O.R.A. Was leading the resistance and PSICOM soldiers were having a hard time dealing with them.

"Must be PSICOM's low ranks..." He whispered quietly to himself once again before reading on.

He also found pictures of people fighting and eventually he stumbled across a picture of a pink haired woman with a taller man both in purgee robes. He instantly recognized the woman as Lightning, but the man... she had never seen him before. He zoomed in on the image as the duo were kind of in the background of the picture, then he began to search him up in the database.

* * *

_**/ Sazh Katzroy /**_

**Gender:** Male

**Age:** 40

**Height:** 6' 2"

**Laterality:** Ambidextrous

**Occupation:** Pilot

**Family:** Dajh Katzroy

Sazh has worked as a pilot and lost his wife three years ago. He has a son named Dajh who was branded by the Fal'cie Kujata. As a Sanctum Fal'cie Dajh is currently in PSICOM custody under the direct supervision of Lieutenant Colonel Jihl Nabaat.

With the help of Dajh's ability to sense objects of Pulse origin, PSICOM discovered the existence of a Pulse Fal'cie inside the Bodhian Pulse Vestige. Under authority of the Sanctum, a purge has been ordered on Bodhum.

* * *

He stopped reading up about the male and sighed. "So his son is how they discovered it..." He felt somewhat upset, if only his son had never came to Bodhum, they'd have all been fine, but he knew that Dajh didn't intentionally mean to harm anyone, seeing the picture of Sazh and his son only made him calm down a bit, the only ill that Dajh had done was be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and he somewhat felt sorry for the father and son.

He then exited out of the database and went back to the information he had on the Hanging Edge. He opened up the maps and sent out a call to Lightning's datalog.

"Claire? You there?"

* * *

Lightning was sitting on one of the seats in the purge train when she heard a small tone coming from the earpiece in her ear, she pushed a button on the datalog she kept hidden in the right pocket of her White Guardian Corps jacket, now hidden underneath the purgee robe. "Hey… Storm you there?" She huffed, knowing she'd need to keep it down, besides she already had Sazh butting in on her business.

"Yeah I'm here… how's it going? I see you got on the purge train." Alex replied, leaning back in his chair.

"…. Yeah, I had to give up my place in Guardian Corps to get on… but… I'm on my way to Serah… I'm such an idiot, I should have never pushed her away like that…"

"You couldn't have known Light… look we will get her back alright? That's the entire reason you're doing this… it's crazy, but I understand why you'd go to such lengths... I just want to let you know I'm with you every step of the way."

"Thanks..." She asked in a whisper.

"Also, I got you a little present… Everything you need to know about the Hanging Edge is slowly being transmitted to your Datalog, this includes maps of the region, codex entries, and enemy troops."

"Alright…. thanks… I'll see you after I get Serah out of here alright? I'm sorry I've been in a bad mood all yesterday… I just… I can't believe what happened to her, even now I'm worried deep down that I may have lost her…"

"No… you will get her back, you can't give up on her alright? The next checkpoint is coming up… I've rigged it to disable all PSICOM electronics… you know what to do…"

"Thanks… I've got it from here… keep me posted, I'll update you on my status." She then lowered her communicator, Sazh not noticing that she had been talking to someone as he had been too busy looking around at the people in the purge train.

A PSICOM soldier then walked in and looked around, aiming his gun at the purgee's checking around for suspicious activity. They stayed quiet save for two who exchanged a whisper.

Sazh looked at Lightning. "You serious?" He had found out earlier on their ride that she intended to stop this train and fight PSICOM.

"Be quiet…" She whispered back, a bit annoyed by him. She couldn't risk being found by the PSICOM soldiers, but she knew that in a matter of seconds, they'd reach the checkpoint.

"Hmph… best of luck."

They closed in on the gateway and they crashed through the electronics jamming barrier that Alex had set up at the next checkpoint, shattering it and causing the train to shake. The PSICOM soldier stumbled and Lightning stood up, wearing her Purgee robe. She flipped over the soldier, causing him to drop a rectangular device that she landed on, unlocking the restraints on their hands.

The mission to save Serah had begun.


	5. Chapter 5 - Primarch

**V**

**Primarch**

* * *

**Hanging Edge – Transport Bridge**

Lightning walked down the length of the flying bridge after starting it. Sazh, a man who seemed to just be getting in the way at times decided to tag along... though there was no denying that even though he seemed completely clueless, he seemed to know how to fight, which was good enough for Lightning. As she stood away from Sazh, who was watching the massacre from above on their flying bridge, Lightning made quick contact with Storm.

"Hey Alex?" She said in a whisper through her datalog.

"Yeah? I'm here Claire... what do you need?" He asked, talking to her through the computer's communicator.

"We're on a Transport Bridge, making our way ahead, but we still have no sign of the Pulse Vestige or the Fal'cie..."

"According to the PSICOM database, it'll be brought out soon... just keep your course and eventually you will see the objective."

"Alright, thanks..." She nodded and began to walk over to Sazh.

"It's an out-and-out massacre. Those people won't even live long enough to die on Pulse." He said in disgust, seeing the sight of the Purge.

"That was the idea." She said in almost a whisper.

"What?" Sazh said, looking at Lightning in disbelief.

"Sanctum logic. They conjured up the Purge to eliminate a threat. I mean-why carry the danger all the way to Pulse? Why not just stamp it out here? Execution masquerading as exile. That's all the Purge ever was."

Sazh shrugged and sighed. "'Relocation to Pulse.' How does the government get away with pulling crap like that? And you-you knew this was gonna happen?"

Lightning shook her head before providing an answer "The Purge was PSICOM. Private Sanctum troops, not the Guardian Corps."

Sazh then walked off and raised an arm as he spoke about each branch. "PSICOM, Guardian Corps... Soldiers are soldiers aren't they?" He huffed then spoke again. "Pulse Fal'cie and their L'cie are enemies of the state. Tell a soldier to kill an enemy... and you really think it's gonna matter what uniform he's wearing?"

She walked off and answered his next question. "Might have mattered to that one. Couldn't shoot, got himself shot instead." She said, referring to the dead PSICOM soldier on the Transport Bridge they had commandeered.

"How about you? Hmm? Order say shoot, you pull the trigger?"

Lightning simply stayed silent, hearing something in the distance.

"Fine. Forget I asked." Sazh huffed and walked away.

"Wait... what-" She looked at the foe in the distance, flying through the air at high speeds.

The Myrmidon then landed on the bridge, registering it's two targets as it began to engage Lightning and Sazh in combat.

* * *

**Eden – Edenhall**

A woman walked into Edenhall, a smile on her face as her heels hit the floor, causing an echo to be heard. "Your Eminence, your orders have been carried out exactly as you've instructed."

"The Purge is underway? And what about the other task I have assigned PSICOM?" The Primarch asked, holding his rod in his right hand as he sat in his throne.

"Yes, everyone from Bodhum is currently at the Hanging Edge, though there is resistance sir, the other task?"

"The one concerning the PSICOM soldiers and the Issac family."

"I have received word that the soldiers have executed them, however, didn't the Issac family have two people that belonged to the Order?"

"I received word that the Issac Family had come into contact with individuals associated with the Purge Fal'cie... the exception had to be made void for the safety of Cocoon's citizens. In order to protect the sanctity of Cocoon, sacrifices must be made to protect the many." Dysley then stood up from his throne and looked Jihl Nabaat in the eyes. "Tell me my child... is it not our duty to protect Cocoon and those on it?"

Jihl nodded and knelt down before him. "Y..yes your eminence, you're correct."

"Good, then see to it that your heart not be the cause of hesitance in the future..." The Primarch then turned and took his seat again.

"Yes your Eminence, is there anything else you may ask of me?"

"Resume your work of finding that boy's focus..."

"Dajh?" She asked, looking back up at the Primarch.

"Yes, that was his name... now go my child, this 'rebellion' will no doubt be put down within an hour or two..."

"At once your eminence." Jihl Nabaat stood up and then began to walk out of the throne room.

* * *

**Hanging Edge - Pulse Vestige**

Lightning was now inside the Pulsian Vestige which had been brought out by PSICOM. She had fought her way past some PSICOM Bioweapons, monsters that had been modified and created by PSICOM for deployment in the field. It was no surprise that there were no actual human soldiers within the Vestige, as they were all too afraid of being turned into Pulse L'cie.

"What's gotten into you soldier? I thought you came for a fight?" Sazh asked as Lightning walked down the narrow passageways within the Vestige. She then stopped and kept her back to him.

"My sister..." She replied thinking of how to explain it to him.

"Your sister?" He asked, walking around to her right side.

"She's a L'cie."

He then leaned to her side more. "What? A Pulse L'cie?"

"The Fal'cie has her captive. But I'll find her." She said, determined she'd rescue her sister, still upset at herself for the events that happened only days ago.

"Is she still...?"

She merely huffed and began to walk off again.

"Hey, What was her Focus?" He asked standing in front of her to stop her from walking.

"When she became a L'cie, what did the Fal'cie order her to do? It wasn't 'Blow up Cocoon,' or anything like that, was it?"

She spoke softly, still upset at herself, finding it hard to think back to. "I didn't ask."

The door at the top of the staircase then unsealed and a bunch of crystal covered monsters that vaguely had similarities to human's were seen on the other side. Each one of them shaking and strangling themselves as if in pain, seeking nothing more than death's release.

"Listen to me." Sazh spoke, thinking of how to explain his words to her.

"When a person gets cursed by a Fal'cie, they become a L'cie. Then they get given a Focus, right?" He gave a sigh. "How do I put this? If they don't carry it out... L'cie end up as one of those things. What I'm saying is, if your sister's gone that far... I mean-!" He began to stumble over his words. "She might still-! How can I-? Oh, man." He said through another sigh, the pinkette just remaining quiet. "There's no way to turn a L'cie back into a human. Even if she completes her Focus, there's no changing her fate. She'll live her life as a Fal'cie slave."

Lightning turned to him, anger clearly displayed in her face, as upset as she was, she knew that he spoke the truth.

"Don't make her suffer." He said, which ticked her off.

She then pressed her hand against his chest and shoved him away. "JUST SAY IT! Any L'cie... anyone who might ever become a L'cie should be wiped off the face of Cocoon!" She then took a few steps and turned back to him. "It's people like you who started the purge in the first place." Lightning walked off and Sazh began to follow, fighting their way through the Cie'th.

* * *

**Bodhum – PSICOM Encampment**

Storm was arranging a call with the Sanctum, he was ready to demand an audience with Sanctum's higher ups. He had been waiting for a while, but had eventually been put through.

On the large monitor, an old man wearing white robes, holding a gold rod appeared, his attire gave him a sense of respect and it was obvious why as the very man Storm had on call with him was the Primarch, his eyes widened in shock, he wasn't expecting to see him on screen. "Y..your Eminence, I wasn't expecting to have a meeting with you."

"I am free for the time being and have heard about the terrible accident that happened to your family, it is for this very reason that I wish to apologize for the events that have transpired... I assure you, the soldiers responsible for such an act were dealt with in the most harsh of methods..."

"T..thank you Your Eminence..." He nodded, but didn't quite believe it, the video had restricted only him from having access to it, if the event were truly an accident then why would they have kept him out of it? Why did he have to establish a call to hear this news?

"My child, you're Cocoon's youngest Knight Captain, you stopped that traitorous general from bringing Cocoon to ruin, it is in our best interest that we remain close allies, after all... The Order of Knight Captain's is the most special position one can obtain, it is for this reason that I am deeply sorry for the news, hearing about the misdeeds that PSICOM committed against your family was horrifying."

He nodded and sighed. "Yes.. when I found out about it I was furious, and I admit, I was angry at the Sanctum for it, but if you say that it wasn't an order from Sanctum Command... then I thank you for putting my mind at ease."

"You can thank me by performing a task, by protecting our home. In order to protect the Sanctity of Cocoon and it's people we must ensure this Purge is successful."

"Yes, understood Your Eminence." He nodded and saluted him. "It will be done."

"Very well my child, I wish you the best of luck on your task." The call then ended and Storm sighed, he slammed his fist into the desk, he knew that everything he had just been told from the Primarch was meant to keep his loyalty and cover up the deaths of his family. He was beyond pissed at this point.

* * *

**Eden – Edenhall**

A soldier walked into the throne room and knelt down before the Primarch. "You called sir?" His uniform and bright green shoulder pad color marked him as a Force General in PSICOM, the highest rank in both PSICOM and Guardian Corps and the rank just below The Order.

"Yes... it seems Knight Captain, Alexander Issac has began to grow untrusting of the Sanctum... I fear that he may turn traitor..."

"He saw the video in PSICOM databases didn't he? The order that came directly from you Your Eminence?"

"Yes, and we both know that the order was required, the Issac family was suspected of having connections to people who had come in contact with the Pulse Vestige."

"Yes, I understand, but I'm doubtful Alex will..."

"That is why I have a special task for PSICOM... but it must be done without public knowledge."

"A..and what is your command Your Eminence?"

He paused and a slight smirk appeared on his face. "Knight Captain, Alexander Issac is to be assassinated, do not let this become public knowledge as we have no proof he is a traitor yet... once he does make a move against Sanctum, then he is to be shot on sight and publicly marked as a fugitive of the Sanctum."

"At once your Eminence, the Knight Captain will meet his demise..."

"If you succeed... I may very well appoint you to take his place."

The PSICOM Force General was shocked to hear those words, though nobody could tell, as his face was obscured by the helmet he wore. "Thank you sir, it'd be an honor." He stood up and a smirk appeared on his face. He left the Throne Room and whispered quietly to himself. "Alex... I will kill you... and then I will be the next Knight Captain..."

* * *

**Hanging Edge - Pulse Vestige**

Walking up some stairs, Lightning saw a familiar pink haired girl laying on the floor. "SERAH!" She shouted, running to her side as she knelt down to check on her sister. She then picked her sister up, holding her across her arms as she began to walk. "Time to go, we have to leave before the army-"

Sazh stood right in front of Lightning.

"What?" She asked as she looked into his eyes.

"That's a Pulse brand. That girl's a L'cie." He said, noticing the brand on Serah's left arm, the open red eye showing it to be in one of the later stages of development.

"I already told you that." She said.

Sazh lowered his left hand down to his pistol slowly. "Pulse L'cie are the enemies of Cocoon." He then grabbed his pistol, curling his fingers around it.

She huffed and then turned Serah away from him defensively, however if Sazh wanted, he could still easily shoot her. "So they should die!?"

"Listen, if she fails her Focus you know how that'll end."

"And killing her is a mercy?" She asked as Serah raised her left hand up to Lightning's cheek, causing her to turn her gaze to her younger sister.

"You came..." She said weakly.

Lightning immediately set her down on the ground and as she did so a loud male voice was heard. "SERAH!"

Lighnting looked up and saw a familiar blonde male standing on a golden floating elevator as it lowered, she also spotted two other kids that she didn't know along with him.

The male in the trenchcoat with the bandanna over his head ran over and held her hand. "Serah..."

Serah smiled and looked up at the blonde. "Is that... my hero?"

Lightning just glared at the man as he held Serah's left hand to his forehead, glad to see her.

Vanille gasped lightly, recognizing Serah who she had met before.

"Let's get you out of here." Snow whispered.

"Hands off! I'm taking her home." She said to him, obviously the pinkette didn't care for Snow.

"Sis!" He protested.

"I'm not your sister!" She snapped at him. "You couldn't protect her, it's your fault she-"

"You can save us." Serah said weakly.

"Serah?" Lightning asked her, wondering what she meant.

"You can save us. Protect us all. Save... Cocoon." She said weakly once more.

Lightning then said to her in a worried tone. "Save Cocoon? Serah? That was your Focus?"

Snow then began to speak as well. "Anything, I'll do anything. Leave it to me-you'll see. I'll protect Cocoon! I'll save everyone!"

"Somehow, I'll make things right." Lightning whispered to Serah.

Snow smiled at Serah and nodded slightly. "You just relax."

She smiled back. "Thank you." She began to glow a bright blue as she began to float in the air.

"Serah!" Lightning said in a panic.

Once the younger pinkette rose into the air above their reach, she began to crystallize, starting with her hands, slowly traveling up her arms. Crystal shards appeared behind her and a tear ran down her left cheek, her face becoming crystal along with the rest of her body. The tear slowly fell off and crystallized into a crystal tear, one that fell right into Snow's hand.

Snow then looked up at Serah and shouted her name, holding her crystal tear in his hand. "Serah! Serah!" He shouted as he jumped into the air.

Lightning's heart nearly broke in two at the sight of her sister in her crystal tomb.

Vanille looked at her in shock. "Why is she turning to crystal?"

Hope then explained, not aware that Vanille wasn't talking about what caused it. "L'cie who fulfill their Focus are transformed into crystal and gain eternal life."

"Just like the stories say." Sazh concluded.

"Serah... Sweet dreams." He whispered to her as her crystal slowly lowered back to the ground.

Lightning shoved Sazh out of the way and walked over to Snow, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. "Sweet dreams? She's not sleeping! Serah's... She's-" The pinkette was nearly in tears. She then shoved Snow away and turned to her side.

"She's alive." Snow spoke, looking at Lightning.

She looked up at him, hiding her tears behind a wall of anger. "No."

"The legend! Remember the legend!" Snow protested. "L'cie who fulfill their Focus turn to crystal and gain eternal life. It's the same with Serah! Eternal life! She's not dead!" He said, turning to everyone, refusing to believe that Serah might be dead. "Serah's my bride-to-be." He said, standing in front of Lightning. "I promised to be hers forever! I don't care how many years I have to wait-"

As he said those words, he pissed Lightning off, causing her to look him in the eyes before smashing her right fist into his face, causing him to fall to the ground. "It's over!" She shouted at him. "Open your eyes and face reality!"

After a brief pause, the entire Vestige began to shake.

"Oh! Wait." Sazh said in surprise.

Hope cowered to the ground and the others tried to maintain balance as the place began to quake.

"What now?" Vanille asked in panic.

"The army!" Sazh said, pointing out what was causing the shaking. The PSICOM was already initializing their attack on the Vestige, intending to bring it down and leave no trace of it's existence.

"What's happening?" Vanille asked.

"Must be a Sanctum strike. Bring down the Vestige and the Fal'cie right with it!" Sazh explained.

"Aren't they taking it back to Pulse? That's what the Purge was right?" Vanille asked.

"All they care about is getting everything from Pulse off Cocoon. Dead or alive, it's all the same."

"We can't stay here! They'll kill us!" Hope said completely terrified, clinging to Vanille's left hand with both of his.

Suddenly the shaking stopped and the door ahead of them unsealed, sliding open.

Snow then looked down to Serah. "I'll be right back. Hold on."

"Trench Coat. Where you going?" Sazh asked, taking a few steps after him.

"Date with the Fal'cie. Got some things to talk about." He explained.

"What? You're gonna ask it to help her? Are you out of your mind, kid? That thing wants to chew us up and spit us out!" Sazh asked, thinking he had completely lost it.

"Well what do you want me to do!?" Snow shouted, turning to Sazh.

Sazh paused and Lightning began to walk ahead, going up the staircase. She walked past Snow, completely ignoring him as she began to make her way to the Fal'cie's chambers.

"Lightning?" Snow spoke in a whisper.

Sazh sighed and shook his head. "Here we go." he followed the two.

The group began to make their way to the Fal'cie's chambers where their fate would be changed drastically.


	6. Chapter 6 - Oracle Drive

**VI**

**Oracle Drive  
**

* * *

**Hanging Edge – Pulse Vestige**

The five entered a dark chamber shaped like a semi-circle. A massive semi-sphere shaped shell was resting on the ground of the chamber, the room was silent and lifeless. Hope looked at the machine and was a little worried, terrified of being made into L'cie. "So this is... the Fal'cie." There was a metal plate that had Pulsian text written across it, however none of the group, except Vanille could read what it said.

Snow began to plead with the machine, hoping to obtain Serahs release. "Serah's a crystal now. You gave her a focus, and she did it! You got what you want! Now let her go!"

The dome stayed silent... the halls dark and no sign of anything was made by the Fal'cie.

Falling to his knees then to his hands, Snow began to resort to begging, desperate to have his fiancee back. "Please. Turn her back!" He sat up and placed his right hand over his chest. "I'll be your L'cie instead!"

Still no answer came from the Fal'cie, merely the quiet silence of the steel dome. No answer, no sign of movement, no sign of caring...

Lightning grew annoyed by this easily. "Fine, you go on begging. Like this thing gives a damn what we want!" She charged at the dome with her gunblade and struck it, her blade bouncing off the metal shell, sparks flying off each time she struck the machine's exterior. She gave one last heavy strike that staggered her for a second, causing her to take a few steps back.

"Lightning!" Snow said in worry to her.

Lightning was panting a little as she looked at the shell. "It's this thing's fault the Purge started, and it's people who are dying. Serah told us to save Cocoon. That means this thing needs to die!"

Finally some life came to the cold, dark steel room. Lights began to glow and gears, mechanical parts, and other things began to spring to life. A bright light shone from the center crease in the metal dome where the sliding doors opened up slowly, spinning metal pillars began to rise out of the ground, the right and left manipulators activating.

Hope shouted in panic. "I can't see!" The bright light faded and from within the metal dome, the core of the Fal'cie Anima could now be seen. A large crystal embedded within a metal frame, held up by many wires and cords with a single claw arm attached to it's side. The Fal'cie had shown it's true face.

"What the-" Sazh said, completely taken by surprise by this turn of events, Hope however began to panic and ran off for the exit. As Hope ran out, he saw various moving mechanical parts spinning and rotating in the walls. The whole silent Vestige had suddenly come to life. He began to run off more, only to be stopped by a large magical barrier that the Fal'cie set up, knocking him to the ground and trapping him inside with the Fal'cie.

Sazh began to try to talk some sense into Lightning. "Come on now. You really think you can kill a Fal'cie?"

Lightning raised her blade, wanting vengeance on this machine for taking away her sister from her, the only family she had left. "I'm doing this for Serah!"

Snow clenched his fists and got into a combat position, ready to back Lightning up.

Sazh hesitated, thinking about his son. "Dazh..." He whispered to himself.

Anima's many surrounding monitors sprang to life, showing various images of the pulsian L'cie brand over a static background.

The baby chocobo in Sazh's hair chirped and Sazh now made up his mind. "I'm in." He took some steps up. "As long as you don't mind an ameteur."

Lightning huffed as she held her gunblade ready.

"I've got these things." Sazh drew his dual pistols and stood alongside the two. "Might as well us 'em!"

Lightning quickly glanced over at Sazh and spoke a single word. "Thanks." She then lowered her gunblade, entering her unique combat stance as they took on the Fal'cie that took away the most precious person to both Lightning and Snow.

* * *

**Bodhum – PSICOM Encampment**

Storm was no fool, he was a member of the Order of Knight Captains and knew that right this second, the Sanctum was most likely planning to get rid of him, seeing as he has outlived his usefulness and knew too much.

He began to access PSICOM's database, pulling up as much information as he could about PSICOM's troop deployments and their top secret information. He then connected his datapad, a device with about a four inch touch screen that he built, capable of manipulating his surroundings, cloaking him with an application of Deceptisol, projecting holographic displays, and even acting as a communicator, watch, database, and much more.

He began to download all the data he could off of PSICOM's database as well as both the Sanctum and the Order of Knight Captain's databases.

After he managed to download all the data he could, he began to establish a connection to Lightning's communicator in her ear.

"Storm? I need your help unnghh!" She felt the Fal'cie smack them all back with it's claw as she let out a huff. "I'm fighting the Pulse Fal'cie."

"WHAT!?" He said in shock.

"You heard me right... look you either help me or call back later, but I need a weakness on this thing now."

"A-alright." He received all the combat data Lightning's datalog had stored so far and began to study it. "Alright, I know how you can beat it... Do you see those two spinning pillar things? They're called the Left and Right Manipulators. Basically destroy both of those things and the Fal'cie should focus on regenerating them, which will leave it open to attacks... the manipulators are it's primary defense so if you eliminate those, it's obvious why it'd focus all it's efforts on restoring them as soon as possible."

"Thanks Storm... I'll be back soon, alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be waiting." He disconnected the call and sighed, lowering his left wrist.

Suddenly the door behind him opened and a single PSICOM soldier walked in. "Knight Captain, Alexander Issac..." The soldier held a gun to the back of Storm's head. "You're under arrest, traitorous scum..."

Storm sighed, raising his hands above his head, standing up out of his chair slowly, trying not to give the PSICOM soldier any reason to shoot him. "Funny huh? How the man who becomes youngest Knight Captain in the order ends up turning traitor himself... ironic I'd say..."

"You're no better than Vark you scum... and to think we looked up to you as inspiration."

"Tell me... whose orders are these? Directly from PSICOM Command? Or are they from the almighty Sanctum?" He kept his back turned toward the soldier, not daring to turn and face the soldier without his say so, wanting the soldier to believe he had the advantage over him.

"Force General Vanis Raijal of PSICOM Command... come quietly and don't put up a fight..."

"That's great and all but you're forgetting one thing..." He then swiftly reached back for the soldier's wrist, twisting his arm away. A fire was shot, but Storm had already moved out of the way, the shot merely shot the PSICOM computer, destroying it. He then knee'd the soldier in the stomach, followed by the crotch before he threw the soldier over his back, causing him to crash into the PSICOM computer, passing out from the attack.

Storm then walked over to the soldier and noticed that he was a Colonel from his bright blue pauldron lights, a pretty high ranking in the military. He snatched the keycard off his side and tossed his gun away before Storm reached for his side and grabbed his Augmented Organyx gunblade. "Better get out of here before the whole Encampment is on me..." He transformed his gunblade into gun form and shot a few more bullets into the PSICOM computer. He then reached down and unplugged the hard drive, taking all the data with him and leaving them with absolutely nothing.

He then began to head to the door, peeking through it for any signs of backup. He saw a bunch of soldiers rushing inside to investigate the gunfire. Once the squad of 8 soldiers went into the large room, Storm snuck through the shadows using his datapad, getting to the other side of the door where he used the key card to seal the door shut and engage a PSICOM Lockdown which sealed the door. Anybody inside could easily unseal the door using the computer terminal... if he hadn't sabotaged it. There was now no way these 8 soldiers could possibly get out to chase him unless they got the attention of someone outside the room.

Storm then began to sneak through the camp, keeping himself cloaked with his datapad. He peeked around corners and kept an eye out for all of the enemy soldiers in the area.

The area was clear and Storm knew that if he were to make an escape, now making his way to the part of the encampment where all the Bodhianian civilians were being kept until things calmed down at the Hanging Edge and they could send out more Purgee Victims.

Storm knew that there was no way that he could get away using one of their trains. They could easily shut down his train remotely unless he destroyed the receiver, other than that, he'd still need to pass through the security gates along the train tracks. All around, it wasn't a great way to go. Other than train, he could take an airship, but that idea quickly died off when he realized almost as quickly as he came up with the idea that he'd be seen and would be chased by other PSICOM airships and anti-air troops, he would have no chance of escape. That left him with only one way to escape, hijack an airbike. While not capable of traveling near as quickly as an airship or train, he could stay undetected on such a small vehicle, something that would be important. He made his way to the entrance of the camp where he found various Airbikes. He mounted one and turned it to life as the green emissions began to come out the rear of the vehicle. He then began to take off into the air, making his way to the other end of Bodhum, where his home was located.

* * *

**Bodhum – Southern Shoreline**

Storm began flying though the air in the PSICOM Airbike that he stole. It didn't take long for a squadron of PSICOM soldiers to chase after him on their own airbikes. Unlike the civilian airbikes, the PSICOM airbikes were equipped with powerful machine guns and missles capable of locking onto their targets.

As two of the enemy airbikes closed in on him, they began to try and ram into him. Storm made his airbike perform a loop, tilting the nose of his airbike up as he did a full circular loop. The two enemy airbikes that had been on either side of him, crashed into each other and began to crash.

Another airbike began to chase after Storm, following behind him. "Take this traitor scum!" The soldier shouted as he began to open fire with his twin machine guns on either side of the front of the airbike.

Storm began to swerve, trying to avoid the bullets of the minigun. He then rotated his airbike 90 degrees, now resting it on it's side as he spun through the air at rapid speeds. He got behind the soldier and began to acquire a lock on. Once he got his lock on, he pushed a button and a missile shot out of his airbike, traveling through the sky before it hit the soldier's airbike and blew him up.

He sighed, relieved that he had managed to take down the small squadron of enemy soldiers. "Damn Sanctum..." He kept flying toward his house, needing to retrieve his gear before the soldiers got there first.

After an overall 10 minutes of flying, Storm landed his airbike in front of his home, the building had been completely ruined and the front door broken down. He hesitated a moment, knowing that the moment he walked inside, he'd end up seeing the bodies of his dead family who had been staying the night at his place since the area their home was, had a lot of chaos going on.

He walked up to his door, or what was left of it as the soldiers had kicked it down when they went in after his family. He walked in, through the doorframe and was greeted by blood and bodies. There were various soldiers, most likely slain by his older brother in retaliation before he died. Storm walked further in, more blood was spread across the walls, the lights were destroyed and some even flickering, eventually when he reached the end of the living room, he came across the bodies of his family. His mother, father, and even his little nine year old sister were all dead, cold, lifeless bodies spread across the floor.

Tears filled Alex's eyes as he sunk to his knees, seeing his family had been brutally murdered by the Sanctum. His head hung low as his hands pressed against the floor and tears plummeted to the carpet beneath him. "N-no..." He hated Sanctum for what they did to him, he hated PSICOM and everyone else involved with the Purge. They didn't even show mercy to a 9 year old girl, killing her parents in front of her and causing her so much pain in her final moments. These men weren't men at all, they were worse than monsters.

Storm stood up after a while and wiped away his tears. He knew he didn't have time to grieve. He had to escape unless he intended to add his own body to their body count. He began to head into his bedroom where he knelt down in front of a large, sealed safe and used his datapad to unlock it. Once the seal was broken, he opened the door and reached in where he saw four objects... Two of them were the twin, matching gunblades that he made for himself and Lightning for her, now late birthday present. The other two were the infinity crystals. He grabbed all four items, including the infinity crystals sealed away in their steel cases, however there seemed to be something else hidden behind the steel cases that contained the Infinity Crystals. It was a small greenish device with many hexagonal-shaped sides forming a shape like an orb. Storm picked up the object and examined it, once he activated it he began to see what was to come...

He saw Lightning, wearing some strange armor, fighting with his gunblade, though it was different... it was glowing and held the power of light within it. She was fighting a man with purple hair and dark armor, wielding a massive sword with an eye. Lightning was incredibly powerful, fighting this man with amazing speed and talent.

The vision then flickered and showed Lightning fighting Caius with what seemed to look a lot like her Blazefire Saber, though severely upgraded. It had a Trapezohedron inside it and it was obvious that she was standing no chance against the purple haired male. In a few seconds, the male knocked away her blade and impaled the pinkette on his blade, killing Lightning as the life faded from her. He then saw one final vision, a vision that showed a bright light. The infinity crystal being bathed in it's power as it began to resonate with the light. Then finally the vision returned once more to Lightning, fighting the purple haired male with the gunblade he made her for her birthday.

The vision ended and he stared at the Oracle Drive. "Wh-wha-" He held onto the Oracle Drive for a moment and then looked down at the gunblades and Infinity Crystals. He grabbed everything and stored it away in a larger case that could contain everything before he picked it up and attached it to his side, the case dangling from his belt. He then grabbed a bunch of charges, knowing that PSICOM would be coming after him soon. He took a moment to set them up across his home, regretting that he couldn't give his family the proper burial they deserved.

"I'm sorry... I wish I had more time... please rest easy... I'll kill whoever did this to you, I promise." He then ran out the front door of his home, swinging his right leg over the lower half of his airbike as he got into the vehicle. He then started it up and took off. Once he gained a bit of distance, Storm sighed and looked down at the detonator in his hand. He held down the safety to disable it before he gave a sigh, closing his eyes as he held his breath. His thumb brushed across the red button before he made one fluid movement, pressing the button down. Immediately afterward, he heard the explosion of his home behind him, along with the bodies of his beloved family.

* * *

**Bresha Lake – Crystal Lake**

Snow was reaching out into the air in his flashback before he shouted out Serah's name, sitting up, reaching out for his lost fiancee.

Lightning and the rest of the group grumbled as they sat up, aching a little.

Snow looked around at the crystallized Lake Bresha around them. "Is this... for real?" He stared out into the distance, seeing the Pulse Vestige impaled in the crystallized lake around it, the rushing waves and waters frozen in their crystal prison.

Sazh then spoke up, realizing where they had to be. "This must be... Lake Bresha?" He looked up above them, in the sky seeing the Hanging Edge they all previously had been. "I guess we came from up there, and the lake turned to crystal? Help me out here! I mean, did the Fal'cie do this? How in the world did we end up here?" He said, walking over to Lightning.

"How should I know?" She said, taking a step back, just as confused as him.

Vanille fell to her knees, completely shocked at how they survived such a fall. "We're alive. How?"

"Serah!" Snow proclaimed. "No one survives a fall that high, not without a miracle. Serah saved us!"

"Serah?" Lightning said in an upset tone. "Listen. It's all your fault she got-"

Suddenly behind Lightning, a Cie'th began to sneak up on her.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey!" Sazh shouted to get her attention so she'd notice the crystalline monster sneaking up on her.

"Watch out!" Snow shouted, shoving Lightning back so she wouldn't get hit as he blocked the Cie'th's massive arm swinging for her. He then pushed the arm off of him and began to charge up something from within him, his arm began to chill as ice formed in his fist, the forbidden power of magic granting him it's strength. A pulsian brand on his left forearm glowing with an intense, cold, blue light as he punched the Cie'th with magic backing him up. The impact knocked the hulking Cie'th on it's back, defeating the monster.

Snow looked at his arm in disbelief. "What did I... just do?"

Hope stood up and looked at Snow. "You used magic!"

Vanille gasped as more Cie'th made their way towards the group of five.

"You used the power of a L'cie!" Hope said in anger and disbelief. "The Fal'cie cursed us. We're L'cie now!"

Lightning reached for her gunblade behind her skirt, the handle extending out so she could grab it, her fingers curling around the hilt of the blade as she pulled it out and switched the gunblade into it's gun form. She then got into her battle stance. "Right."

Lightning, Snow, and Vanille fought off the three Cie'th that were assaulting them and defeated them with relative ease using their new found powers. Snow looked at his left forearm, seeing the Pulsian brand of a L'cie, a brand he recognized as he had seen it before on Serah. He lowered his wrist and looked to Lightning. "So we really are L'cie."

Lightning turned away from Snow and huffed. Sazh examined his brand and spoke up in an annoyed tone. "Looks like it."

"You too?" Snow asked Vanille.

"Yep. Right here." She reached down and hiked up the side of her skirt, showing Snow the brand on her left thigh.

"L'cie to the last." Lightning said in almost a whisper.

Hope fell to the ground, angry at the world around him, losing his cool from all the tragedies befalling him. "Why me?" He looked up at everyone else in the group. "I don't even know you! But you have to go and attack that thing? Just leave me alone!" He turned his head away from Snow. "It's your fault- It's your fault my-" He clenched his gloved fists. "You could've- All of this is your and Serah's fault!" He shouted at Snow, standing up to him.

"Watch it!" Snow snapped.

Hope backed up and fell on his butt, backing up away from Snow where he ended up hitting something behind him, he looked up where he saw Lightning with her arms crossed, glaring down at him. He had bumped into her legs. He then crawled away and burried his head into the ground.

Snow sighed and rest his hand on his forehead. "Sorry."

Vanille, noticing the discomfort of the silver haired, 14 year old boy, walked over to him and rest her hands on his shoulders. "Everything is going to be alright. You'll see. Come on." She lifted him up. "Off we go." She began to walk off, holding onto Hope's hand. Everyone began to walk off and Lightning stayed near the rear of the group where she had already been establishing a connection to Storm.

"Claire? Is that you?"

"Yes it's me Alex." Lightning sighed as she folded her arms and looked at the group walking ahead.

"What happened? I heard that there was an incredible burst of energy released in the Bresha Lake region, are you alright?"

"... That energy surge must've been what turned the lake to crystal."

"W-wait crystal!? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, Alex I need to tell you something. Something happened."

"What do you mean Claire?" Came the Knight Captain's voice through her headset again.

"That Fal'cie... it's made us all L'cie... all of us, including me..."

There was silence on his end for a moment, but she could hear the sound of his head banging against his airbike. "Y-you're a L-L'cie now?"

"Yeah... I thought you should know..."

"C-Claire..." He paused once more and then sighed. "W-we'll find a way to fix this... I refuse to just watch you turn into a Cie'th and I'm not- I can't... live without you."

"How are things on your end?"

"..." He hesitated and then spoke up. "I- I'm being hunted by PSICOM soldiers in Bodhum under orders of the Sanctum. However, officially I'm not a criminal, I'm sure it won't be long before they revoke my Knight Captain status and news spreads of the traitorous Knight Captain..."

"But you haven't done anything wrong... that makes no sense, I mean sure you're now working with Pulsian L'cie... so now you're technically a traitor... but before I called you, you had no way of knowing."

"L-Listen... I- It's something I need to tell you in person... alright?"

Lightning stayed quiet for a moment and then sighed. "Alright... next time we see each other, tell me. Don't think I'm letting you get away without a word now that you've given me your word."

"Of course... a-anyways... I suppose we should find you a way out of there right? According to this map of the region, you should be able to follow the path you're on towards some ruins. Once you're there, there is an airship you could use to escape the area, but I'd hurry quick... there's no doubt in my mind that PSICOM is deploying troops to that area as we speak, and it won't be long since a lot of their grunts are already deployed in the Hanging Edge. We're fugitives, running from the Sanctum now... even me. They just don't know about your existence yet, let's try to keep it that way as long as possible."

"Right..." Lightning said with a nod. "Thanks for the way out... and uh... thanks for helping me... even after knowing I'm a L'cie... I made a risk contacting you... after all you're Sanctum and you could have very well sold me out... but I trust you Alex, it makes me glad to know that I at least have someone who's got my back..." She said as she looked at the four other L'cie. The young boy and girl, the pilot who seemed to at least know how to fight, and the annoying blonde haired 'hero' that always got on her nerves.

"Of course, if you need anything else just contact me, I'll keep streaming data from PSICOM and the Sanctum to your datalog, hopefully I can find out what PSICOM is planning to do and where they're deploying their troops and search parties."

"Right... Lightning out." Lightning disconnected the call and then walked up to the group who were all walking through the crystallized remains of Lake Bresha.


End file.
